NORTHAMPTON — To see more than 20 police cars lined up and lit may typically provide cause for concern, but on Saturday during Northampton Police Department’s Police Day, it was all part of the fun.
The second annual event, held outside the Center Street station, provided opportunitities for area children to man the emergency wheels, dust for fingerprints and handle weapons (which were unloaded, chained to a table and under the constant supervision of officers).
“Can I get in the front?” asked Alexzander Ellithorpe, 3, of Chicopee before getting a hand up to one of Northampton’s fire engines. The seat swallowed him as he gripped the wheel, moving it from side to side and gritting his teeth.
“We’ve seen a lot of kids today,” said Police Chief Jody Kasper. “Really, this is for the kids.”
Kasper said the day was organized to introduce residents young and older to police officers in a friendly and crisis-free setting. In addition to Northampton police, school resource officers and representatives from a variety of departments took part.
As Kasper talked to a reporter, a loud horn from a neighboring police car interrupted the conversation.
“There’s one now,” said Kasper, smiling and looking toward the car, where no face was visible from the windshield — just two tiny hands on the wheel.
“A lot of the time our interaction with the public is negative due to the nature of our job,” said Kasper. “This gives us an opportunity to have some positive interaction.”
Kasper said she’s been working to bridge the gap between the community and the police force since taking over as chief nearly a year ago, through events like Saturday’s Police Day and Community Classroom, a program she started to engage the public in dialogue about police activity. There will be a Community Classroom event pertaining to use of force, she said, on June 7.
“It’s a chance for us to share perspectives, to stand in each other’s shoes,” she said.
Units from 11 different departments were present for the event, vendors sold wares and Sam’s Pizza, Herrell’s and Deano’s Burgers and Dogs sold snacks. WHMP provided a varied assortment of upbeat tunes as police and community members smiled and glistened in the 90-plus-degree heat.
A table providing iris scans was one of the more popular attractions. Entry of their children’s biometric data into a database for missing children appealed to parents, while the bionoculars-like scanner proved eye-catching to kids.
Liam Ewers, 9, of Northampton told mother Jennifer Ewers that said his favorite part was the motorcycles. A police officer, he said, helped him climb atop one from Amherst Police Department.
“The officer’s actually pretty nice,” said Liam.
Amanda Drane can be contacted at adrane@gazettenet.com.